Pipe organ



1,621, March 1927 J. H. HAMMOND, JR 879 PIPE ORGAN Original Filed April 1. 1921 INVENTOI? WITNESS Patented Mar. 22, 1921.-

UNITED STATES I 1,621,879 PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN ELY 8 HAMMOND, JR., 0] GLOUCESTER, MASSACHU SETTS.

PIPE ORGAN.

Application filed April 1, 1921, Serial No. 457,773. Renewed July 27, 1926.

Some of the objects of the present invention are to provide means operating in con junction with a pipe organ to produce the tone of brass wind instruments; toprovide means in a pipe organ for producing and varying the intensity of a tone simulating the tone of a brass wind instrument; to provide means controlled by the swell box of a pipe organ for varying the intensity of a brass tone; to provide means for producing a brass tone having a predetermined characteristic of vibration; and to provide other improvements as will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawing, the figure represents diagrammatically an apparatus for pipe organs embodying one form of the present invention.

Referring to the'drawings, one form of the invention is shown in connection with a swell box 10 containing two organ pipes 11 and 12, the blowing of which is controlled from a console 13 in any well known manner and which is here unnecessary to describe in detail. The swell box 10 is provided with an opening 14 in whlch a plurality of shutters 15 are pivoted and arranged to be simultaneously operated by a bar 16 connected by arms 17 to the respective shutters 15. This bar 16 may be operated in any well known manner to open or close the shutters 15 to vary the opening 14 as desired.

In order to produce a brass tone when the pipes 11 and 12 are blown, either separately or together, tubular brass pipe sections 20 and 21 are provided in the length of the respective pipes 11 and 12 and may be of any suitable form with the walls of a thickness to produce the desired quality of the tone. If desired, suitable weights or other adjuncts may be attached to the brass sections 20 and 21 to adjust for the desired tone quality. These brass pipe sections 20 and 21 are arranged to be set in vibration to produce a tone simulatingin quality that of brass wind instruments and for that purpose the present form of the invention contemplates electrical mechanism comprising two electro-magnets 22 and 23 having their cores respectively juxtaposed to two armatures 24 'and 25, in the form of two small pieces of magnetic material rigidly secured to the respective brass sections 20 and 21. These electro-magnets 22 and 23 are included in two separate circuits having a common source of current such as a battery 26.

For causing the brass tone in the organ from the shaft 35 to pipe 11, one terminal of the winding of the electro-magnet 22 is connected by a conductor 27 to a spring contact 28 mounted upon a rod 30 of insulating material, the contact 28 being in the path of movement of a strip contactor 31 of conducting materlal fixed to the bottom of a key 32 which forms one of the keys of the usual keyboard 33 relative to which the tablet rail of the stop action 34 is located. The contactor 31 is in electrical contact with the shaft 35 of conducting material upon which the respective keys are mounted. A conductor 36 leads a contact finger 37 fixed to the console frame in the path of movement of a strip contactor 38 secured to a tablet 40 and in electrical connection with a shaft 41 of conducting material. The shaft 41 is connected by a conductor 42 with one pole of the battery 26. The key 32 controls the blowing of the organ pipe 11.

For causing the brass tone in the organ pipe 12, one terminal of the winding of the electro-magnet 23 is connected by a conductor 43 to a s ring contact 44 fixed to the rod 30 but in t e path of movement of a strip contactor 45 secured to a key 46 of the keyboard 33 for blowing the pipe 12. This contactor 45 is directly connected to the shaft 35' and the remaining portion of the circuit is the same as that heretofore described, as the tablet 40 controls the brass tone of either of the pipes through the selected circuit.

In order to interrupt the current through the respective electro-magnets 22 and 23, an interrupter 47 is provided comprising a commutator drum 48 made of insulating material having a strip 49 of conductingmaterial the opposite marginal edges of which are serrated to form two rows of projections 50 and 51 extending circumferentially of and flush with the surface of the commutator drum 48. Thus each row of projections alternately provides a conducting surface and an insulating surface upon which terminal brushes 52 and 53 respectively slide as'the drum 48 is rotated. A shaft 54 serves to support and rotate the commutator drum 48, it being mounted in suitable bearings 55 and driven by a suitable motor 56 at a constant speed. A third brush 57 rides upon the continuous surface of the strip 49 and forms a common return for the two magnet circuits. The three brushes 52, 53 and 57 are mounted upon an insulation block 60. The brush 52 is connected by a conductor 61 with the other terminal of the winding of the electromagnet 22, one terminal as hereinbefore described being connected to wire 27; the brush 53 is connected by a conductor 62 with the other terminal ofthe winding of the electro-magnet- 23; one terminal as hereinbefore set forth being connected to wire 43 and the brush 57 is connected by a conductor 63 with the other pole of the battery 26.

For the purpose of varying the strength of the current and thus controlling the intensity of the vibration produced, a rheostat 64 is provided and connected in series with the conductor 63. This rheostat 64 is provided with a movable arm 65 connected to one branch of the conductor 63 and contacting with the series of resistance coils 66 in the other branch of the conductor 63. The movable arm 65 is keyed or otherwise fixed to a spindle 67 mounted in bearings 68 and has a link 7 O secured thereto and pivotallyjoined to the bar 16 which controls the shutters 15. Thus as the opening 14 controlled by the shutters is varied the resistance in the brass tone circuits will be varied'proportionately, and if the shutters 15 are entirely closed the arm 65 will be moved out of contact with the resistance thus breaking the circuit, because in a brass wind instrument the brass tone is not erceptible when the instrument is blown soft y.

In the operation of this form of the invention the keys 32 and 46 control the sounding of the pipes 11 and 12 in a well known manner and the shutters 15 are operated as usual in pipe organs. When it is desired to produce the brass tone in the pipe 11, the tablet 40 is depressed to bring the contactor 38 into engagement with the contact 37 and then the key 32 is depressed. This closes the circuit through contactor 31, spring contact 28,'conductor 27, electro-magnet 22, conductor 61,

brush 52, projections 50, strip 49, brush 57, conductor 63, rheostat 64, to battery 26, conductor 42, shaft 41,-contactor 38, contact 37, conductor 36 and rod 35. As the commutator 48 is being rotated at a constant speed, the current through the magnet 22 will be interrupted at a predetermined rate depending upon the speed of rotation of the commutator 48 and the numbers of projections 50 upon its periphery. This ratio is such and the brass section 20 is so constructed that a vibration of a predetermined characteristic will be superimposed upon the original note of the pipe 11 to thereby produce a continued effect which is similar to the note produced by a brass wind instrument. I

By depressing the key 46 a similar circuit will be closed through the electro-magnet 23, and the brass tone produced will be that produced by the projections 51 of the commutator 48, the required quality to give the desired brass tone eifect being determined by the number of the projections 51 and the speed of rotation of the commutator 48.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that i the strengthof the brass tone will vary in synchronism with the motion of the shutters 15. Thus when the shutters 15 are wide open the arm 65 will be in a position to pass the maximum current through the solenoids 22 and 23 and giving the loudest brass effect. As the shutters 15 are closed, the arm 65 moves in a direction to cut in an increasing resistancewhereby the intensity of the brass vibrations isdecreased proportionately.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. The combination of an organ pipe and means for roducing a tone in said pipe simulating in quality the tone of a brass tuned to the same pitch as the pipe, and

means controlled at the will of an operator for varying the intensity of said vibrations.

4. The combination of an organ pipe, a predetermined pitch for producing a tone of definite quality, and means controlled at the will of an operator for imposing upon said tone a secondary tone of like pitch having the quality of the tone of a brass wind instrument.

5. The combination of an organ pipe for producing a tone of predetermined pitch and quality, means controlled at the will of an operator for imposing upon said tone a secondary tone having the same pitch but different quality, and means for varying the intensity of the imposed tone in accordance with the intensity of tone of the organ pipe.

6. The combination of an organ ipe for producing a tone of predetermined pitch and quality, a key for actuating said pipe to produce a tone, means controlled at the will of an operator for imposing upon said tone a secondary predetermined tone having the same pitch as the pipe but having the quality of the tone of a brass wind instrument,

and means for automatically varying the intensity of the imposed tone proportional to the changes in intensity of tone emitted from said pipe.

7. The combination of an organ pipe arranged to produce a tone of a certain quality,

a brass section in said pipe, and means ineluding an electrically operated device for causing said brass section to vibrate in a predetermined manner to impose upon said pipe tone a secondary tone having the tone quality of a brass wind instrument.

8. The combination of an organ pipe arranged to produce a tone of a certain quality, a brass section in said pipe, means including an electrically operated device for causing said brass section to vibrate in a predetermined manner to impose a seconda tone having the tone quality of a brass wind instrument, a console, and means carried by said console for controlling said vibratory means.

9. The combination of a plurality of organ pipes arranged to produce respectively tones of a certain quality, a brass section in each of said pipes, and separate means for causing the respective brass section to vibrate to produce tones simulating'in quality the tones of a brass wind instrument.

10. The combination of a plurality of organ pipes arranged to produce respectively tones of a certain quality, a brass section in each of said pipes, separate means for causing the respective brass sections to vibrate to produce tones simulating in quality the tones of a brass wind instrument, and means for selectively controlling said vibratory means.

11. In combination, an organ pipe, means for sounding said pipe to produce a tone of certain quality, means operable in conjunc tion with said sounding means for producing b a tone of like pitch but of difierent'quality, and means for changing the quality of sound emitted from said sounding means without changing the pitch.

12. In combination, an organ pipe arranged to produce a tone of a predetermined pitch and qualit means operable in conjunction with said pipe for producing a tone of like pilch but of different quality, and means for changing the quality of sound emitted from said sounding means without changing the itch.

13. In com ination, an organ pipe arranged to produce a tone of a predetermined pitch and quality, means including a member carried by and operable in conjunction with said pipe for producing a tone of like pitch but of different quahty, and means for changing the quality of sound emitted from saidhsounding means without changing the pitc 14:. In combination, an organ pipe arranged to produce a tone of a predetermined pitch and quality, vibratory means operable in conjunction with said pipe for producing a tone of like pitch but of diflerent uality, and means for changing the quality 0 sound emitted from said sounding means without changing the pitch.

15. In combination, an organ pipe arran ed to produce a tone of predetermined pitc and quality and means for simultaneousl imposing on said tone a secondary tone of tii e same pitch but of different quahty.

16. In combination, an organ pipe arranged to produce a tone of predetermined pitch and quality and means including a member carried by said pipe for simultaneously imposing on said tone a seconda tone of the same pitch but of different quality.

17. In combination, means for vibrating an enclosed column of air to produce a tone of predetermined pitch and timber and means controlled at the will of an operator for modifying the timber of the sound emitted without changing the pitch.

18. In combination an organ pipe, a key for controlling the units of said pipe to produce a tone of predetermined pitch and timer, means applied to the pipe for varying the timber of the sound produced thereby, and means controlled at the will of an operator for rendering said modifying means efieotive.

19. In a musical instrument the combination with an organ for producing a tone which consists of a fundamental and a predetermined series of harmonics, of means controlled at the Will of an operator for producing atone having the same fundamental but a difierent series of harmonics.

Signed at Gloucester, in the county of Emex, State of Massachusetts, this 29th day of March, 1921.

JOHN HAYS HAMMOND, JR. 

